Monday, 23 November 2015

The second Rebecca Raisin sent me this guest post for #CarinaChristmas, I knew it had to be the first post shared for the week. With a title of The Magic of Christmas, what better way to get you thinking about Christmas, with just over a month to the big day to go. So enjoy, and she also has a great giveaway for you too.

And without further ado, welcome to Carina Christmas on Rachel's Random Reads, I hope you enjoy everything that I have for you over the next seven days. Please keep checking back over the week for more from your favourite Carina authors.

Thanks for inviting me here today, Rach! The festive season features in three of my books, so you could say, I'm a huge fan of Christmas! But it wasn't always that way…Pre-children, Christmas marked the beginning of summer here in Australia, and aside from one day of feasting and drinking lots of nice wine, I didn't think too much about it! Shocking, I know! My mind was more firmly on the rest of the holidays where we’d read those books we got for Christmas at the beach or by the river, finding a cool spot to mellow while temperatures soared. However things changed once my little boys came along. Even at two they were spellbound by Christmas, the decorations in the shops, and the catchy Christmas carols that played everywhere. It wasn’t long before I was hunting for Christmas books for them, and buying a big Christmas tree that they could decorate, and then also tear down, being toddlers the shiny baubles were much too tempting to resist! As each year passed, and they understood more about what it all meant, I became a hard core fan of Christmas! From baking sweet treats as gifts, or planning what we’ll eat on the day. Buying cookbooks for my family, and really celebrating the joy of giving. Without a doubt that’s my favourite part, to buy or make something for someone, and to watch their expression change when they open it.Writing the Gingerbread Café Series was all about love, friendships, and the magic of Christmas. If you can’t forgive and forget at Christmas, when can you? I love the idea that people are (usually!) softer, more appreciative of what they have at Christmas, and things always seem that much brighter. All you have to do is see the delight in a child’s eyes to be affected by the season. To be able to write about characters, and their different ways of celebrating is so much fun. It’s like living it from the comfort of my keyboard, with the added bonus of not having to wash any dishes! This year, Sarah from The Little Bookshop on the Seine heads to Paris and is still there when Christmas rolls around. It was nice to be able to write a different way of celebrating, she was so used to her friends back home, and the routine of her life there, but this year she gets to celebrate Christmas in the city of love… Snow dusting the trees along the Champs-Elysees, Santa’s Village, the foodie markets, outdoor ice skating rinks, toys shops galore, stalls of Christmas chocolate truffles! And now it’s on my bucket list too! Have a Merry Christmas! Giveaway to win a paperback copy of A Gingerbread Cafe Christmas (open Internationally)

Rebecca is kindly offering one lucky winner a copy of A Gingerbread Cafe Christmas, which is the three books of her excellent Gingerbread Cafe series, all put together in one book for the first time. I have read these and they were what hooked me on Rebecca's writing a year ago, so really excited I can share this prize with you all.Giveaway open internationally, so long as The Book Depository offers free delivery to you, all options are voluntary, but please do what they ask, as I will be verifying the winner. Giveaway closes 23:59 4/12/2015. Winner will be announced on twitter and emailed, and they will need to reply within 7 days, or forfeit the prize, and I will re-draw for a new winner. Good luck everyone.

REBECCA RAISINis a bibliophile. This love of books morphed into the desire to write them. She’s been widely published in various short-story anthologies, and in fiction magazines, and is now focusing on writing romance. The only downfall about writing about gorgeous men who have brains as well as brawn is falling in love with them – just as well they’re fictional. Rebecca aims to write characters you can see yourself being friends with. People with big hearts who care about relationships, and, most importantly, believe in true, once-in-a-lifetime love.Follow her on twitter @jaxandwillsmumFacebook https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaRaisinAuthorWebsite rebeccaraisin.com

Thank you so much Rebecca. I can't really imagine how different Christmas must be in Australia without a hint of snow, and with it being summer there. I do completely agree that having children around helps with Christmas spirit and to keep the magic of the season alive.

5 comments:

Yay #CarinaChristmas is here. I love the post and Rebecca's going from fun carefree Christmas to making your the day special for her kids, its lovely. A yummy start to the Christmas week on your blog Rachel, looking forward to the rest.